This is the budget decision the mayor says he is 'most disappointed' about

Every morning and afternoon, Hereford Street comes to a standstill as people make their way to and from school or work.

The congestion is only increasing as more houses are built on the northern side of Bathurst.

Bathurst Regional Council has a preliminary design in hand for the Hereford Street corridor, but the project, which was originally estimated to cost at least $25 million, has no funding allocated to it in the draft budget.

"That is probably the one that I'm most disappointed to have to make that decision for and I can assure you that no councillors are happy about it, but the reality is we can't spend money we don't have and that's one project that has to be put on hold in order to balance the budget for this coming financial year," Cr Jennings said.

With such a big price tag on the project - and a price that has likely skyrocketed with inflation - the council would need assistance from higher levels of government to get it done.

Even though the project is set to be put on hold, Cr Jennings said the council will still pursue grant opportunities should they arise.

It is a similar story for other projects, such as the upgrades proposed for Centennial Park and the Carrington Park grandstand, which are unfunded in the draft budget.

"We will still be very actively keeping our ear to the ground for any and all grants that become available that are relevant to us," Cr Jennings said.

There is no relief in sight for users of Hereford Street, and the problem would only be exacerbated by future housing developments, should they go ahead.

Cr Jennings said he wants to see the Laffing Waters project brought forward to increase housing supply, but not unless there is an improvement to Hereford Street.

"It has to be done simultaneously or before. It can't be done after new houses are built on that level of growth for Bathurst," he said.

Another aspect of the draft budget ratepayers will be disappointed about is the intention to increase a range of fees and charges.

A report prepared by the council's director of Corporate Services and Finance, Aaron Jones, outlines the effect this would have on users of essential services.

The draft budget has been prepared under the assumption of a 15 per cent increase to water rates and charges, a 9.5 per cent increase to sewerage rates and charges, and a 13.5 per cent increase to domestic waste charges.

Cr Jennings said plans to increase fees and charges result from a peer review of other councils, which he said found Bathurst council was charging less, or not at all, for some services.

One example he gave as a potential change is charging developers for pre-lodgement meetings with the council.

"When a development application is being prepared to be submitted to council, council has traditionally offered a free pre-lodgement meeting," he said.

"That meeting can have up to four staff in it and go for an hour, or two hours if it's a detailed submission, even for something that's fairly straightforward.

"That's a significant amount of professional time being given away, so things like that are being looked at."

As Bathurst council forges ahead on its pathway to sustainability, Cr Jennings said more tough decisions will need to be made.

"Structurally, our budget position long term is challenging," he said.

"While land sales will assist council's bottom [line] for 2024-25, this cannot be relied on moving forward.

"The next in-coming term of councillors will have to look very hard at future levels of service delivery to the community to further contain costs, and/or consider future sustainable revenue sources to make ends meet."

Bathurst council will consider the report on the draft budget at a May 1, 2024 extraordinary meeting, where it is expected the resolution will be to put it, and other documents, on exhibition for feedback.